Thursday, March 15, 2012

Activity-A-Week: Go Dance!

I once thought I wanted to pursue a career in musical theatre (huh?). I still kind of do, but that ship has long sailed. But I did finally get to dance on-broadway...well a little off broadway anyway, but who's looking at details? The latest stop in our Activity-A-Week series takes us to The Broadway Dance Center in New York City where I was able to drop-in on a 90-minute Broadway Jazz Class ($18).

The funny thing about dance is that you never really forget how to move your body in a class, but you might just be a bit slower at it. The class starts with a series of foot and leg exercises for warm-up and then moves into longer stretches and floor work. After about an hour, the instructor starts teaching a fairly basic routine - which we put to music at the end of our class.

The great thing about dance is that your mind is always thinking. I never had the time to be bored and the class flew by, which is the key to me enjoying exercise. The Broadway Dance Center can be a very serious place - with professional students (from around the world) dancing along recreational ones. Don't be intimidated. If anything, you gain access to some first-rate teachers and will have others pushing you along.

So if you haven't tried a dance class since you were in a baby tutu, check out a local studio and take a very non-commital drop-in class. You might just re-discover your love of dance again.

In Toronto, we dance at City Dance Corps on Queen Street West (near Spadina). The studio offers a wide variety of classes for all levels. However next time you're in New York City, I recommend scheduling in a class at The Broadway Dance Center to see what you're capable of!